Just as Souta was about to traverse, his phone suddenly vibrated.
He picked it up and saw that Kurumi had tagged him in the group chat.
Tokisaki Kurumi: "@Souta. I just received a solo mission related to saving Honjo Nia."
Seeing this message, Souta was momentarily stunned.
Souta: "Huh? You got one too?"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "'Too'? Wait, does that mean you received one as well?"
Souta: "Not me. Last time, Shinobu received a solo mission to help Hitagi Senjougahara. She's a character from the Monogatari series."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Are you saying my mission is similar to hers?"
Souta: "Exactly. I suspect the system assigns solo missions based on your world's storyline or its characters."
Souta: "@Shinobu. By the way, Shinobu, how's your mission going?"
Before long, Shinobu replied in the group chat.
Shinobu: "I haven't started yet. I just found that Hawaiian brat from last time."
Souta: "You mean Oshino Meme? What do you need him for?"
Shinobu: "My methods for dealing with oddity are too straightforward. Normally, that's fine, but when it comes to saving people, I can't be sure if my usual brute-force approach will backfire. So, I'm seeking out that Hawaiian brat to brush up on aberration knowledge. Since he's an expert, he should know plenty."
Souta was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Shinobu to take the initiative to study aberration lore.
In the original work, she had the exact opposite attitude.
Souta: "Shinobu, didn't you watch the Monogatari series I gave you? The solutions are all in there."
Shinobu: "I watched it, but it's too vague. For example, when they perform a ritual, the scene just cuts away, leaving out all the details. And details are exactly what I need."
He had completely overlooked that point!
It made sense, though. Many works gloss over such details.
For example, if a novel mentions performing a magic ritual, it rarely explains every step in detail—after all, it's not like they're writing a lab report.
With that in mind, novels weren't particularly useful references for people like Shinobu.
Souta: "Alright, that was my oversight."
Shinobu: "I wasn't blaming you. Anyway, I'm busy studying oddity knowledge now, so I'll talk later."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Souta, when are you coming over?"
Souta: "Wouldn't it be a bad idea for me to come now? Solo missions must be completed alone. If you get help from group members, you won't receive any rewards, meaning it's all for nothing."
Souta: "Kurumi, hold on. I'll ask the system about the specifics of solo mission restrictions. I want to clarify exactly what kind of 'help' is prohibited."
After sending the message, Souta shifted his gaze from the phone and began pondering.
The rule stating that "group members cannot help" was quite vague.
At what point does an action count as 'helping'? What exactly would be considered a violation? The system hadn't specified any clear standards.
Souta silently asked in his mind:
"System, regarding the restriction on group members helping in solo missions, what are the exact conditions?"
Yes, once again, he was looking for loopholes in the system.
The system really had it rough, being stuck with a host like him.
Soon, the system responded:
[During the execution of a solo mission, no other group members may accompany the participant and directly intervene.]
"So direct intervention isn't allowed..."
Souta thought for a moment before asking:
"What about indirect help? For example, providing a free one-time-use Attack Card?"
"What about sharing intel in the group chat? Does that count as a violation?"
"What if I offer strategic advice or suggestions? Would that be against the rules?"
[That is also allowed.]
If the system had human-like emotions, it would probably have jumped out by now and slashed Souta in frustration.
With this newfound information, Souta sighed in relief.
The system's restrictions on "helping" were surprisingly lenient—almost ridiculously so.
As long as he didn't directly step in and assist on-site, it was fine.
Then again, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
After all, how many people would be willing to give away Attack Cards for free?
Without delay, Souta tagged Kurumi in the group chat and shared the information with her.
Tokisaki Kurumi: "So basically, you can provide me with intel in the group chat?"
Souta: "Exactly. And you can use the Attack Cards that Shiroyasha gave you without worry. The system doesn't restrict that."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Souta, do you have any intel on Honjo Nia?"
Souta: "I remember some things. Honjo Nia debuted ten years before the story began under the pen name 'Honjo Souji' and became a bestselling manga artist. Five years ago, she was captured by DEM and imprisoned in an underground facility on Neryl Island in the Pacific, where she was subjected to cruel human experiments."
Souta: "Actually, now that I think about it, rescuing Honjo Nia is incredibly simple. Kurumi, you can time travel to before she gets captured and warn her. Or, you could just take out 'Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott.' If something happens to him, no one will order her capture, and the torture never happens in the first place."
Back when he was in the Date A Live world, Souta had overlooked this possibility.
But it wasn't really his fault.
After all, they had arrived 25 years after the Eurasian spacequake, which was when Honjo Nia had already been captured and imprisoned.
From that perspective, his first instinct had been to locate where she was being held and rescue her.
That thought had been firmly ingrained in his mind, causing him to ignore the possibility of manipulating the timeline.
Now that he reconsidered, people who could mess with timelines were practically invincible—so long as they weren't up against someone who transcended time itself.
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Traveling to before she was captured... I thought of that too, but I don't know where to find her."
Souta: "Honjo Nia is a famous manga artist. Start from that angle, and you should be able to find her with a bit of effort. Of course, if you don't want to waste time, you could just buy a 'Traversal Card' and specify the time and location—it should take you directly to her."
Tokisaki Kurumi: "No thanks on the Traversal Card. The reward for this mission isn't high, so buying one would mean doing the mission for free. I'll just go straight for 'Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott.' One decisive move, and the problem is solved. Plus, this is a great chance to use the Attack Cards Shiroyasha gave me."
Was Kurumi choosing violence simply because she found looking for someone too troublesome?
Her thought process was starting to resemble that of a brute-force warrior...
After settling the plan to save Honjo Nia, Kurumi fell silent and stopped messaging.
The group chat soon quieted down, suggesting that everyone was busy with their own tasks.
"Well then... I should get back to my own work, too."
Souta opened his phone's task system and looked at his newly obtained rewards. His eyes shone with excitement and anticipation.
PS: Writer's block hit me. I debated whether to add more Spirits, and I've been stuck on it for a while, so this update was delayed.
To the readers waiting for updates, my bad! Here's an "Orz" for you all.